Film – Robin Olds Mig Kills USAF

I’ll have to search out that Dogfights episode, sounds great:cool:

Colonel Olds never flew F-105s, he had a ‘interesting’ spell flying the Voodoo with my favourite old wing, the 81st TFW before he converted to the F-4.

You are correct sir, I was thinking about the flying he did with the F-105s, particularly during Operation Bolo and I misspoke. My mistake. Thanks very much for the correction.

Also interesting to note that the film above documents his second MiG kill, but at the time he was already a double ace having been officially credited with 12 German air-to-air kills and 11.5 on the ground while flying P-38s and P-51s during WWII. He claimed several more than that but like many they could not be officially confirmed. Watching him tell of his adventures in that Dogfights episode is a real joy, some of my favorite stuff.

Cheers

Also must recommend to those interested in Col. Olds to watch his episode of “Dogfights” (S01E02 Air Ambush) where they use CG animation to tell his story. Col. Olds tells of his experiences in WWII including shooting down a Bf-109 while both of his P-38s engines were shut down. (He claims the only air-to-air kill while in “glide mode”.) And he also goes into great detail regarding his time in SEA flying Thunderchiefs and Phantoms and Operation Bolo. Straight from the horse’s mouth.

Colonel Olds never flew F-105s, he had a ‘interesting’ spell flying the Voodoo with my favourite old wing, the 81st TFW before he converted to the F-4.

Also must recommend to those interested in Col. Olds to watch his episode of “Dogfights” (S01E02 Air Ambush) where they use CG animation to tell his story. Col. Olds tells of his experiences in WWII including shooting down a Bf-109 while both of his P-38s engines were shut down. (He claims the only air-to-air kill while in “glide mode”.) And he also goes into great detail regarding his time in SEA flying Thunderchiefs and Phantoms and Operation Bolo. Straight from the horse’s mouth.

Cajun,-105s Up North, respect.

I’ve always found the air war in SE Asia to be fascinating, and an interesting comparator to the Arab-Israeli and later Iran-Iraq wars.

Perhaps that’s why it was sometimes frustrating in ‘my’ wars (Yugoslavia, Iraq and Afghanistan) to see some of the same lessons being relearnt again.

Those that ignore history are condemned to repeat it.

Cajun – the USAF introduced the F4 to Vietnam with a pair of pilots, but they soon started running out of pilots as once they’d completed a combat tour they had to volunteer to go back. Therefore, they followed the US Navy and put a WSO in the back. In fact, the highest scoring US ‘Ace’ was a non-pilot GIB, Chuck DeBellvue (though, as several did, he retrained as a pilot after his tour.).

Evalu8ter – True, when I finished my second tour in 68 they still had rated guys in the back, I flew 105-D’s so no back seat. And again true Chuck flew with Steve Ritchie on 3 of his kills. The AF F-4’s -C, -D, -E and -G’s allways had full flying controls in the rear pit and the Navy version -B, -J and -S’s did not. This carried on in the F-14’s also.
Cheers,
Itch

Im lucky that quite a few USAF Phantom drivers, wizzos and migkillers have signed many of my books. I have had it seems the right connections and right times to get such rare signatures from some very famous people.

I have had Bill Pascoe, Charles DeBellevue, Steve Ritchie and others sign my books….

I also have 3 mates who flew F-4s in their lifetime.
Im at moment in the process of doing a few F-4 Phantom stories to display.

DC – 100%. One of the best aviation books I’ve ever read. A masterpiece.

Cajun – the USAF introduced the F4 to Vietnam with a pair of pilots, but they soon started running out of pilots as once they’d completed a combat tour they had to volunteer to go back. Therefore, they followed the US Navy and put a WSO in the back. In fact, the highest scoring US ‘Ace’ was a non-pilot GIB, Chuck DeBellvue (though, as several did, he retrained as a pilot after his tour.).

For answers to your questions and details of this event and Robin Olds life I highly recommend the book or audiobook “Fighter Pilot: The Memoirs of Legendary Ace Robin Olds.”, written by Col. Olds, his daughter Christina, and the recently departed Maj. Ed Rasimus. An amazing life and career.

Why is the narrator calling the GIB “the pilot on today’s mission,” or am I mis-hearing the narration?

In the USAF the GIB (WSO or “Wizzo”) is also a pilot. Unlike the USN F-4’s of the same era where the back seater (RIO) was a NFO, Naval Flight Officer, a non rated position. The narrator may have meant to say “the other pilot on the mission”. Just a guess on my part.
Cheers,
Itch

Why is the narrator calling the GIB “the pilot on today’s mission,” or am I mis-hearing the narration?

Has any of the camera gun footage [if any taken] ever been released?